Where can you still smoke in peace?


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Beirut, and Lebanon in general, is a great place for cigar smokers. There’s a surprisingly strong cigar culture there and the airport LCDH is huge. For such a small country we have some great regional editions (especially Ramon Allones) and I’ve heard that when it comes to cigar smokers per capita we’re amongst the highest in the world. 

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Cambodia.  It's a fairly cigar friendly place.  You can smoke outside almost anywhere.  Indoors, there are many cigar bar and lounges.

Some of my favorite places in Phnom Penh:

- Rosewood Hotel:  outside rooftop bar, the best 360º view of the city, inside: Cigar Lounge

- Sofitel Phokeethra: Cigar Chamber (great cocktails as well)

- Raffles Le Royal: Elephant Bar terrace, Poolside terrace and PCC cigar chop

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On 9/25/2019 at 5:13 PM, shippers said:

Vienna had many places you could smoke indoors and generally smoking outside was fine. Loos American Bar although small allowed smoking indoors with many cigar smokers and great drinks!

https://www.cigarjournal.com/cigars-in-vienna-a-very-special-microcosm/

last days for Vienna unfortunately. 

you can smoke everywhere in Baku and Yerevan.

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On 9/24/2019 at 5:02 PM, Edmond said:

Beirut, and Lebanon in general, is a great place for cigar smokers. There’s a surprisingly strong cigar culture there and the airport LCDH is huge. For such a small country we have some great regional editions (especially Ramon Allones) and I’ve heard that when it comes to cigar smokers per capita we’re amongst the highest in the world. 

The walk in at the airport is supposed to be the largest in the world.  Do think that is true? My cousin goes there a lot and has touted the duty free in Beirut for decades.

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I live in Ottawa, Ontario Canada. A place which closely resembles Nazi germany when it comes to tobacco and smoking.

In Ontario there is no such thing as a "cigar lounge". Not allowed. No smoking in bars, restaurants, nightclubs or even your own car if you have children under 16 in it. Tobacco products sold in stores are "plain packaged", and kept out of sight. You have to know what you want, and ask for it. Cigars seem to have escaped that - except for the coming plain packaging.

You may not smoke on hospital property. So, yes, you see patients with their I-V stands on wheels, walking outside in -30C weather to get off the grounds and have a smoke.

In Ottawa, you're not allowed to smoke on any city property. Parks, sidewalks - you name it, although this isn't enforced that I can tell.

I thought we WON WW2.

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2 hours ago, GrouchoMarx said:

I live in Ottawa, Ontario Canada. A place which closely resembles Nazi germany when it comes to tobacco and smoking.

In Ontario there is no such thing as a "cigar lounge". Not allowed. No smoking in bars, restaurants, nightclubs or even your own car if you have children under 16 in it. Tobacco products sold in stores are "plain packaged", and kept out of sight. You have to know what you want, and ask for it. Cigars seem to have escaped that - except for the coming plain packaging.

You may not smoke on hospital property. So, yes, you see patients with their I-V stands on wheels, walking outside in -30C weather to get off the grounds and have a smoke.

In Ottawa, you're not allowed to smoke on any city property. Parks, sidewalks - you name it, although this isn't enforced that I can tell.

I thought we WON WW2.

So true.  But at least you have one option in Lac Leamy (Casino),  Many in Montreal and 1 in Quebec city.  ;) 

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On 9/20/2019 at 8:34 PM, nino said:

Germany has state smoking laws - not federal ones.

So my state, Rheinland Pfalz near Frankfurt ( which is state of Hessen and totally different ) has no problem with you smoking inside a non-food serving Bar ( or just Snacks ).

Smoking outside no problem anywhere in Germany.
 

Thats why I love Germany...the land where they treat you like an adult.  You want to go in a bar where people smoke, go for it.  You wanna drive as fast as you can, go for it where you're allowed to

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My back deck. My fire pit. Friends' back decks and fire pits.

And I'm happy to say, the cigar lounge that just opened in my town.

I'm looking forward to checking it out next week.

It's owned by the same folks who own a nice one one town over. They have a "don't bring your own" policy that they're happy to waive as long as you buy a cigar from them. I'm good with that. ?

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7 hours ago, BrightonCorgi said:

The walk in at the airport is supposed to be the largest in the world.  Do think that is true? My cousin goes there a lot and has touted the duty free in Beirut for decades.

I think as far as airport walk-ins go it’s probably true, and there’s a members only cigar lounge and bar right next to it. They also have the largest selection of desktop humidors and accessories I have seen anywhere. I’ll take some photos the next time I’m there.

you can check out their prices and selection here:

http://cigars.beirutdutyfree.com

Definitely get your cousin to pick up some Lebanon REs for you, they’re highly rated!

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45 minutes ago, Edmond said:

I think as far as airport walk-ins go it’s probably true, and there’s a members only cigar lounge and bar right next to it. They also have the largest selection of desktop humidors and accessories I have seen anywhere. I’ll take some photos the next time I’m there.

you can check out their prices and selection here:

http://cigars.beirutdutyfree.com

Definitely get your cousin to pick up some Lebanon REs for you, they’re highly rated!

I hope they have some in Abu Dhabi Duty Free.  The Mrs. and I are going to there & Dubai for vacation next month.

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On 9/21/2019 at 4:03 PM, Meklown said:

Japan. Indoors, outdoors, anywhere really. Except for a few public touristy streets.

 

That is absolutely no longer true.

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4 hours ago, Deeg said:

That is absolutely no longer true.

Really? Where and when in Japan are you referring to? 

I was in Osaka and Kobe around 6 months ago and aside from the main shopping street, I didn't have any troubles smoking anywhere else. Even some cafes on said street allowed indoor smoking.

Also no issues in Fukuoka 1 year ago, both public and private area (except for one particular cafe)

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2 hours ago, Meklown said:

Really? Where and when in Japan are you referring to? 

I was in Osaka and Kobe around 6 months ago and aside from the main shopping street, I didn't have any troubles smoking anywhere else. Even some cafes on said street allowed indoor smoking.

Also no issues in Fukuoka 1 year ago, both public and private area (except for one particular cafe)

I love in Kobe and it's illegal to smoke outdoors except in designated areas.  Maybe you didn't have any issues but it was technically illegal.  Bars are still pretty smoke-friendly, but more and more restaurants are going smoke-free.  And Tokyo has made a big push to limit public smoking in advance of the 2020 Olympics.  The Diet (and Tokyo municipal government) both passed their first major smoking restriction laws last year, though there are a lot of exemptions especially in the national bill, given how close the LDP is with the cigarette industry.

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30 minutes ago, Deeg said:

I love in Kobe and it's illegal to smoke outdoors except in designated areas.  Maybe you didn't have any issues but it was technically illegal.  Bars are still pretty smoke-friendly, but more and more restaurants are going smoke-free.  And Tokyo has made a big push to limit public smoking in advance of the 2020 Olympics.  The Diet (and Tokyo municipal government) both passed their first major smoking restriction laws last year, though there are a lot of exemptions especially in the national bill, given how close the LDP is with the cigarette industry.

Good to know! Seems I have just confessed to some crimes ... ?

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2 hours ago, Meklown said:

Good to know! Seems I have just confessed to some crimes ... ?

ROFL, I really don’t think it’s a big deal but hey - it is the law. TBH a lot of stuff a Japanese person would get hassled for they look the other way on with foreigners because they assume we don’t know any better. That’s not to say you don’t get the odd gaijin-hassling racist cop - that’s definitely a thing too.

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I travel lots in the US for work and outside of cigar bars the only peaceful place I can find to chill & smoke is hotel room balconies.  I search them out & book when possible.

Parks are even off limit these days...I was in Charlotte, NC (the home state of the American tobacco industry) & got run out of an empty city park @ 8am trying to smoke a PLPC. I would have been bummed, but I was already to the nub lol

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Europe is way more sane when it comes to a lot of this stuff. 

In particular, Spain was great. Anytime I sat outside for a meal or a coffee, I could light up. At first, I would use my broken Spanish to ask if smoking was allowed, and was greated with strange looks. I assumed it was my pronunciation, but over time, as my Spainish improved, I still got the looks. 

Eventually, I was wandering around thousand year old castles and nobody cared. Sitting in the middle of a bullfight and it was fine.  

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Tunis, as of 2014, was a cigar paradise. Oddly enough, I couldn't smoke in my hotel room. But the balcony, lobby, even the hotel elevator were smoking friendly. You're right in thinking I had a blast there. 

Seychelles was pretty good for outdoor (not indoor) cigar smoking. 

Doha, at least at Souk Waqif, had lots of outside cigar options. 

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